DAY 20
TUESDAY
17 January 2017 –509km traveled today
Esperance – Salmon Gums- Norseman – Balladonia – Baxter Rest
Area (Camps 8 ref 15 WA)
The rains arrived over night. It was nice to hear it pinging
off the van as we slept. It was clear by the time we rose to ready ourselves
for heading on. Breakfast served and eaten, Paul began with the pack up
outside, while I did the inside clean.
Paul found plenty of water pooling under the toilet
cassette, when he went to empty it. He couldn’t get to it all but bailed what
he could. Guess that is how it is leaking back into the van. Now just have to
work out where it is coming from.
By 9am the van had the trailer attached and was parked out
the front. The car went on before we had a shower and by 10 we were starting
the next leg of the journey. Goodbye
Esperance. The grey clouds were just parting over the ocean making it sparkle
as we drove out of town.
We had a two and a half hour drive ahead of us to Norseman.
There wasn’t anything of real note following the Coolgardie-Esperance HWY. The
view changing from golden, farmers’ fields to mallee scrub. Some of the
woodland areas we passed were very colourful, with varying shades of green,
grey, brown and black.
The HWY followed a Historic Schools Trail. At various points
along the way, there were signposts indicating where a school had once stood.
It makes you wonder what the conditions were like for the teaching staff and
the hardships they must have faced being posted to these “out in the sticks”
places.
Salmon Gums was the largest settlement we passed on our way.
The largest structure there was the primary school. Good luck to the teachers
there currently.
We pulled into Norseman at 12.30pm, ready to stretch the
legs. Frist stop was the Info centre to find out about the Nullarbor Links golf
course. We thought it would be fun to give the 1400km, 18 hole course it a go,
but at $70 a person, we thought better of it. We did a wander around the town,
finding the familiar camels sculpture placed within the roundabout. The last
time I saw this was in 2003. Not much has changed.
Back at the van, we consumed lunch, checked the vehicle and
then were back on the road by 1.30pm. Destination – Balladonia. We saw a
wedge-tail eagle feeding on a recent road kill and then a mother emu with about
half a dozen juveniles following behind. The vegetation changed from mallee, to
low scrub and back to mallee. It was still cool and overcast here, which made
for pleasant enough travel on the long, straight road of the Eyre HWY.
We arrived at Balladonia by 3pm and filled the car yet
again. Don’t want to get caught short out here. I had a wander of the area,
reading about the crash of Skylab in 1979, Balladonia’s greatest claim to fame.
We checked the camps book for possible rest areas and then it was back on to
the black top for the next part of today’s journey.
The trees were now relenting to the conditions, with a
greater number of low scrub bushes taking their place. We drove the tarmac of
the RFDS emergency runway, then entered the longest straight piece of road in
Australia, 144km or 90 mile straight, as it is sign posted.
The day was slowly slipping behind us the further we
travelled east. The day never really recovered from its overcast start. A
blessing really as it kept the drive cool.
By 5pm we had reached the Baxter Rest Area, 135km east of
Balladonia. There were already a few vans making camp for the night and a poor
trucker surveying the flat tyres he had. Didn’t fancy that job.
Paul found a flat spot for us to pull up, then it was out of
the van to stretch again. Too long spent sitting again. We readied the van for
the night stay and then enjoyed a well earned drink. The weather still looked
quite ominous around us, but not knowing the weather patterns, we were unsure
if we would pick up any rain. There obviously had been some as there were fresh
puddles around and the roos were making use of the fresh water holes.
We had a chat with some fellow campers , seems to be the
thing you do on the road – “Avachat” . I was glad to finally get away and get
dinner underway and then eat as I was starved.
After dinner we walked around the camp and followed the
tracks into the bush. They just kept going. We could have really taken our van
off the road and out of sight if we had wanted to. I was hoping we would see
more wildlife about, but everything was well hidden, except for a kestrel we
disturbed.
I took some photos of the view, the clouds and remaining
sunrays conspiring to together to dazzle the light. It was really quite pretty.
Once back in the van it was time to stretch out on the bed.
The monotonous driving having taken its toll.
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